A not so subtle introduction.

Posted on Fri May 31st, 2019 @ 1:29pm by Ensign Felicie Rivero & Lieutenant JG Siobahn Fallon & Commander Rostra Tang & Ensign Andrew Gervais & Cadet Senior Grade Brady Macleod

Mission: Shore Leave

It was almost eighteen hundred hours when Felicie and Siobahn arrived at the bar, choosing a seat with a view of the water beyond. It was almost sunset and the colours were just starting to spread across the horizon beyond.

"Okay, I told Andrew to be here at six," Siobahn said with a smile. "Are you sure Brady is coming?"

Felicie nodded. "I've told you a dozen times, he will be here at six. Now how about we grab a drink while we wait? Want me to grab some?"

With a nod, Siobahn took a deep breath and looked around. "Sure, grab me... well... you know what, just grab me something fruity?"

A few minutes later Felicie returned, sliding two drinks onto the table and taking a seat across the table from Siobahn.

Brady appeared, finally out of uniform for what felt like the first time in forever... What a past few weeks it had been. But for now? Drinking time. He looked around for Siobahn and saw her with Felicie... He looked around at all the other Dalacari in the area, feeling a little out of place but... It was home enough. "Ladies." Brady said as he approached the table.

"Brady!" Felicie exclaimed, motioning for him to sit down across from her. "Not sure if you've met Siobahn or not. She's in medical. Siobahn, Brady, Brady Siobahn..."

Siobahn laughed and shook her head. "We've met," she said softly. "But it's nice to see you again Brady. Enjoying the shore leave?"

"So far. Haven't got to check much out yet though... But I might have broken a few speed records getting off shift and getting down here." he said.

"Andrew should be here shortly, then I thought we could maybe order some food and some more drinks? Unless you want to get one now?" Siobahn said with an easy smile.

Andrew? The guy from the lounge that looked all blah? The really cute one? Brady was a bit giddy on the inside but tried to hold it in. "You know, maybe one might be a good start."

Felicie laughed and shook her head. "Well, you said you wanted to meet him didn't you?" she replied teasingly. "Tell you what, while you're at the bar, why don't you grab us some more drinks as well?"

Siobahn shrugged slightly. "Andrew said he might be a bit late, he's coming down from the ship and had something to finish off first, but he shouldn't be too long."

"He actually said yes? I'm kind of shocked, to be honest." Brady said, a little nervous. "Any, uhhh... Anything I should know about?"

"Yes, be nice to him," Siobahn cautioned. "He's been through a lot and if you hurt him you will have to deal with me and I can kill you in at least twenty ways and make it look like natural causes, got it?" Though the tone of her voice was light and she smiled, it wasn't entirely clear how much weight her threat actually held.

Felicie stifled a laugh and shook her head. "And make sure no one orders anything with blue cheese dressing tonight. It took me two weeks to get the smell out of my hair!"

Making the rounds of the bar was a bipedal drone, the same model and make running around the rest of the establishment, and honestly the same as the one down the street, on the corner, sweeping the floor, raking the grass, driving the cars, giving directions... When Rostra's briefing of the drones of Dalacar mentioned how important and present they were, she honestly undersold it.

The gold and white frame drone approached the group, its single optic dimming slightly with each word. "Good evening guests. The establishment is switching over to their dinner and late night menu. Would you like to see a menu for the kitchen, or a beverage menu?"

Siobahn smiled warmly, once again impressed at the timing and impeccable mannerisms of the drone. "Thank you, that would be fabulous. We're waiting for one more of our party to arrive before eating, but we might order some drinks?" she said with a smile.

The drone gave a nod, and then handed over a courtesy PaDD of Dalacari design to Siobahn. "Of course. Please take a moment to peruse the beverage menu then. Dinner will wait until your final guest arrives. If you would need a more accurate estimate to their arrival, what is your other guest's name?"

"If you'd prefer it remain a surprise, or if there is no urgency, there's no need to disclose a name." the server drone added.

With a laugh, Siobahn glanced at Brady and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You know what, it's probably best to put him out of his misery and tell us when our friend will be arriving. His name is Andrew Gervais. I believe he is coming down from the station thing we docked at?"

"Station thing?" Felicie asked, semi incredulously. "Seriously? One of the most amazing pieces of technology you have ever seen in your life and you call it a 'thing'?"

Siobahn shrugged slightly and turned her attention to the PaDD in her hand. "I like strawberries, what would you recommend?" She asked the drone before handing the PaDD across to Felicie to read the menu.

The drone gave a nod as it received the name and information. "A query will be run for Andrew Gervais. The results should be coming shortly. As for recommendations linked with Strawberry, there are thirteen positive recommendations linked. The top three are the Kalawam, the Slidewinder, and the Midnight Sunset. Bear in mind that these beverages are initially intended for Dalacari pallets, so in order to accommodate the drinks will be mixed into one drink. If this affects your enjoyment of the chosen drink, the establishment does apologize." If you closed your eyes and ignored the obvious synth to the voice, the drone almost sounded human. Almost spoke with empathy. "The Kalawam uses a local fruit that is a 86% match for Strawberry, while the other two beverages actually use Strawberry in their mix."

Before Siobahn could make a choice, though, the drone seemed to perk up, "A positive ident on your friend Andrew Gervais has been found. They are currently on their way and are safe." and the drone gave an estimation of a time of arrival. "Guests on Dalacar receive the top most priority on safety and security. They do not appear to be in any danger, nor are their vitals showing signs of distress."

"Do you wish to arrange for an escort for your friend?"

"Thank you, the escort for Andrew would be greatly appreciated," Siobahn replied with a smile. "And I think I will have a Kalawam," she ordered.

"I'll take a Sidewinder," Felicie ordered handing the PaDD across to Brady.

"I'll try the Midnight Sunset." Brady said.

The drone gave a nod at each order. "Excellent choices. Your drink orders are placed and will be around shortly." Already the bartender, a living Dalacari, started to work on something. For those at the bar he casually put on a show, a display of mixology and bottle proficiency. When a drink was finished, it found a home with the patron who ordered it or a drone to take it where it needed to go. All in all, the system was pretty smooth to watch.

"An escort has been arranged for your late friend. The service comes at no charge to guests, though the establishment can neither confirm nor deny the price of embarrassment and reminders of needing an escort TO the bar." the drone provided. Either a pre-recorded statement, or something to be said to entertain the patrons. Once the final order was placed, the drone gave a nod, "Your drinks will be ready shortly. Your order is number sixty three." and with that, the drone turned and walked away. Were it not for the obvious mechanical aspect of it, the metal frame and chassis, it moved very organically. Emulation of bipedal motion was always tricky with autonomous drones. The Dalacari seemed to have figured it out nicely, though.

Watching as the Drone took the orders and moved away again, Felicie tipped her head to one side, turning in her seat to watch it curiously as it moved about. "How do you think they work?" she asked, glancing across at Brady quickly before looking around at the other drones buzzing around the area busily. "I would love to get my hands on one and see what's inside that makes it tick!"

"God, can you imagine?" Brady asked. "They have to be tapped into some central cloud where they monitor every movement and have literally the entire knowledge of their culture. I guess if you're going to focus on peace, you've got a lot of money somewhere."

"I wonder if they do more than just serve drinks and wait tables though?" Felicie asked as she continued to watch the drones milling about the venue.

Siobahn nodded quickly, relieved that there was something actually knowledgeable she could add to the conversation. "They do pretty much everything. I was at one of the medical facilities this morning and they had drones for treating doctors as well as actual Dalacari physicians. The drones do almost everything that the Dalacari can do, possibly even more."

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Felicie's face. "Really?" her voice brightened as she spoke. "Now I'm even more sure we have to get one, what do you think Brady? Take one back to the ship with us, figure out how to replicate it and create our own little drone army to do all the menial work for us while we spend our duty shifts sitting back sipping cocktails and focusing on more fun filled endeavors?"

"I'm pretty sure that would get us thrown in jail!" Brady said. "Plus can you imagine the Captain's response?"

"Well, the Captain was the one who told us to immerse ourselves in Dalacari culture," Felicie replied with a wicked grin. "Or at least something to that effect."

"Seriously, if you two get yourselves arrested, I'm just going to leave you there," Siobahn replied with a shake of her head.

"I mean... The key will be to just not get caught. We're engineers. Shouldn't be hard, right?" Brady said with a chuckle.

As the drone returned with their drinks, Siobahn smiled gratefully. "Thank you, is it possible to get an update on when our friend might be expected to join us?"

"You are very welcome." The drone's initial program was to show appreciation, and reciprocate. Each of the drinks was handed out gently, to avoid any threat of spillage. "Please enjoy, and if you require any further assistance please feel free to request. Your friend Andrew Gervais is currently being escorted by Unit Designate Theta Three. They should be arriving in a few minutes. Would you like a message relayed?"

"That's okay... Thank you!" Brady replied. "Damn these things are good."

"A little too good." Andrew replied as the drone appeared next to him. "But... I guess at least I didn't get lost looking, so... there's that." he said, in at least a bit better of a mood than he'd been the last few days since.. Well.. That Which Shall Not Be Mentioned.

"Andrew!" Siobahn exclaimed, rising up from her seat and hugging him briefly. "I'm glad you made it." Returning to her seat next to Felicie, she motioned for him to take the seat across from her. "Andrew, these are my friends Felicie and Brady, I'm not sure if you've met them but they both work in Engineering."

As she settled back into her seat, she turned, looking for the drone again.

"Nice to meet you." he said to both, offering his hand... "Wait.. I think I did run into Brady before. I was a little moody that night. You were talking with the old man bartender, I think."

"Yeah, I remember that." Brady said... "Nice to eat... Ummm.. I mean meet you too." he said, stammering a little. Shit, this guy was like.. jaw droppingly hot out of a uniform.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but could I please have another Kalawam? And can my new friend please see your menu? Also, can you tell me when we can order food?" Siobahn asked with a smile, feeling the need to eat before she kept drinking. These alien Dalacari cocktails were surprisingly tasty.

"Certainly." The drone handed over a small PaDD with the drink service on it. "Another Kalawam, certainly. You may order food whenever you wish now that your friend has arrived." the drone diplomatically reminded her that it was her that held off on food orders until the full group was here.

"The table eMenus will be updated shortly with a tab for food service. The establishment is currently operating on the dinner and late night menu."

"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm starving!" Siobahn exclaimed. "I shouldn't be, I feel like all I've done since I've been on this planet is to eat, but the food is always so good!"

Felicie laughed. "The beaches aren't bad either. I mean, personally I would be happier if there were more human eye candy... but the service is definitely exceptional."

Brady chuckled a bit... Oh there was more than enough human eye candy from where he was sitting... "So, how do you and Lieutenant Gervais know each other?"

Siobahn smiled. "Andrew and I are friends. We met not long after I came aboard the ship," she said as she scanned through the menu on the table. "Oh my gosh, have you seen these menus? The food looks amazing!"

"They do. I don't even know where to start." Andrew replied before looking at Brady. "What about you?"

"I'm so lost... Though some of these dishes here look really good..." he said, pointing at the mains on the eMenu. "Not sure what this kind of meat is supposed to be but I mean hey... I'll try anything once."

With a smile, Siobahn glanced around for the drone that had been serving them, ready to place her order.

"Can I please have another one of those kala-whatever-they-are's and for my meal, I'd like that," she said pointing to the fourth picture on the menu. "It looks delicious."

Felicie had been scouring the menu looking for something that jumped out at her, but nothing did. Everything looked great. Everything she had tasted so far was great. Not finding anything, she sighed with resignation. "Just bring me something, I can't choose."

The drone taking the table's order gave a nod of its head unit to show it had heard the request. "The Kalawam, a current favorite in the local region. Trending by thirty percent." it helpfully offered while taking a look at where she was pointing for her meal, "An excellent selection. The head chef insists on freshly grilling the vegetable portion of the meal, so there will be a slight delay in your meal. The establishment apologizes for this delay."

There weren't that many veggies on the plate in the picture. There weren't that many veggies on MANY of the plates on the menu. Some were offered as side dishes, others just flat out were processed into the meat. Seems Dalacari never really abandoned their predatory ancestry.

Glancing around at that moment, it became very apparent that Dalacari had mouths full of very sharp teeth. Watching them for a moment, carrying on conversations WHILE eating, and switching out when they needed to.

"Today's meat selection includes a variety of local actual supplements to compliment the fabricator faire, including fowl and water-stock."

Once everyone had placed their orders, Siobahn thanked the drone again for it's patience with them as she settled back in her seat, picking up her drink and sipping it slowly as she watched the others interacting.

"Well.. why don't we try the fowl?" Brady suggested.

"Doesn't sound like a fowl idea to me." Andrew countered.

"Did you just... Did you..." Brady asked as he laughed at the pun. "I mean I guess I could make fun of your food puns but I might have to duck rather fast."

"Just fishing for compliments, I see..." Andrew added. Hmm. Maybe this Brady guy was all right. In fairness, he wasn't in the greatest of moods last time they met.

"I mean... it's what I do I guess. Are you taking the bait?" Brady said

Andrew rolled his eyes, and smirked a bit and then made a fish face... "We'll see if you reel-y have much for bait to offer."

Turning around and summoning the drone, Siobahn asked for another Kalawam, can you make it double strength? And keep them coming? If I have to listen to this all night I'm gonna need it."